- Jones led gutsy 49ers win. A gimpy Mac Jones turned in one of the best performances of his NFL career, throwing for 342 yards and two touchdowns, and leading a game-winning field-goal drive to stun the Rams. Early in the third quarter Thursday night, Jones, the 49ers’ replacement starter for an injured Brock Purdy, hit Kendrick Bourne on a beautiful 19-yard pass. But Jones got hit on the play by the Rams’ Jared Verse, clearly limping for the remainder of the drive. Then Byron Young hit Jones again, one of nine hits he took, lying on turf for a few minutes. Jones peeled himself off the turf, continued firing passes to his shorthanded receiver corps and even converted multiple first downs with his legs after getting hurt. Jones is now 3-0 as a starter in place of Purdy and looks to have resurrected his career after a few wayward seasons.
- Rams’ late mistakes were costly. In spite of the 49ers outplaying the Rams for the bulk of Thursday night’s game, the Rams had several chances to wrest control of the game, but they never could take the lead and lost in heartbreaking fashion in overtime. After coming back from down, 20-7, the Rams tied the game early in the fourth, but Joshua Karty’s blocked extra point kept it tied. Then the Rams went three-and-out and fumbled at the goal line with one minute left on their next two possessions, respectively. The Rams got it back after a stop, and Karty tied it to force overtime, but they couldn’t keep Mac Jones from driving down the field to take the lead. Given the chance to tie the game or go for the carotid artery, Sean McVay chose the latter on fourth-and-1 from the San Francisco 11-yard line with three-plus minutes left. There was no thought of a game-tying field goal -- not with a kicker who’d missed twice and not with the Niners’ defense reeling -- but Kyren Williams (who had fumbled at the 1-yard line in the fourth) was stuffed for no gain.
- Niners' game defense, clutch special teams stepped up. The 49ers looked to be limping into SoFi Stadium Thursday night, with a quick turnaround after Sunday’s home loss to the Jaguars. But looks apparently were deceiving, as the Niners found the early energy to take control of the game, the constitution to hold their water while the Rams roared back and the clutch element with several massive plays on defense and special teams late. The Rams looked prepared to take the lead in regulation with just over a minute left, as Kyren Williams had daylight en route to the end zone, but rookie defensive tackle Alfred Collins stripped the ball loose and recovered it at the edge of the goal line. The 49ers lost defensive tackle Kalia Davis (hand) and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (hamstring) to injuries during the game, really taxing that group, but they stepped up in a big way, helping hold the Rams to three points on their final four possessions -- all of them in good field position. Eddy Pineiro’s 59-yard field goal gave the Niners the lead with three minutes left, and his 41-yard glance shot in OT was the winner. The Niners made the big plays when they needed them most.
- Key Rams players raise trust questions. Kyren Williams did a lot of good things Thursday night, totaling 131 yards from scrimmage and catching two TD passes. But the play everyone will remember was Williams losing the ball inside the Niners’ 1-yard line with 1:07 remaining -- and a wide-open end zone in front of him. Yes, the Rams got the ball back and tied the game, forcing overtime. And yes, Williams tried to atone, helping put the Rams in a position to tie or win the game in OT with a few catches in the red zone. But he was also stuffed on fourth down on the game’s final play, a play call that Sean McVay took the blame for after the game. But McVay also decided not to kick a field goal, and it’s hard to blame him based on Joshua Karty missing a field goal try and having an extra-point blocked earlier -- a recurring theme this season. The Rams also had a bad kickoff in the final minute that cost them 13 big yards. Williams was asked to carry the entire RB load after Blake Corum dropped a pass and mishandled a toss from Matthew Stafford that the Niners recovered, protecting their 14-0 lead. McVay has ball-security issues in his backfield and kicking-operation problems that now have cost his team two tough losses.
- Bourne comes to the rescue shorthanded Niners. The 49ers not only ruled out quarterback Brock Purdy, but also wide receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, their two leading receivers, before the game. This gave Mac Jones and Kendrick Bourne a chance to reprise their success from 2021, when Bourne was the then-rookie Jones’ go-to guy with the Patriots. They looked like old passing pals on Thursday, connecting 10 times for 142 yards on 11 targets. Bourne did have a drop, and Jones’ two TD passes went elsewhere, but the veteran receiver turned in a massive performance when the Niners badly needed it. More than once Jones was hit while throwing Bourne’s way, and they had some huge connections, with eight of Bourne’s catches going for first downs. We knew Christian McCaffrey would be worked hard -- 30 touches, including 13 in the first quarter. Jake Tonges stepped up with seven catches and a TD. Demarcus Robinson and Kyle Juszczyk were used more. But the Niners probably wouldn’t have won the game -- nor Jones spun the beauty he did -- without the play of Bourne, leading the Niners to an impressive 4-1 start.
Next Gen Stats Insight for 49ers-Rams (via NFL Pro): Rams TE Terrance Ferguson’s first NFL reception, a 21-yarder from Matthew Stafford, had only a 27.6% completion probability.
NFL Research: With 10 receptions in Week 5, Rams WR Puka Nacua became the fourth player in NFL history to have seven or more receptions in at least nine consecutive games and now has 52 catches, the most in league history over a player's first five games.
